


Sp//dr

by Jevil_Joss



Category: Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse (2018)
Genre: Alternate Earth, Anime inspired, Existential Crisis, Future, Gen, Mecha
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-03-25
Updated: 2019-03-27
Packaged: 2019-12-07 18:50:13
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 3,199
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18238856
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Jevil_Joss/pseuds/Jevil_Joss
Summary: Peni Parker confronts a truth, a betrayal, and a demon.





	1. Another Day at School

**Author's Note:**

> Having watched Spider-man: Into the Spider-verse is not necessary for reading this. This work is designed so that it takes place afterwards, but does not give any (intentional) spoilers.  
> If I accidentally give one, please let me know in the comments section.

Peni Parker sat on the flying bus, riding to school, just as she would do any other day. She smiled as she hummed the song she’d heard on the radio that morning. Several other students were talking about the recent battle that Sp//dr had had with Mysterio.

“Hey, Peni,” one of her friends, Gwen Stacy, called out to her.

“Hmm?”

“Did you hear about the Sp//dr’s battle with Mysterio? Isn’t that mech awesome?”

Peni opened her mouth, then closed it again, not quite knowing how to answer that question.

“Come off it,” one of other girls said. “Sp//dr isn’t a hero--it’s an unregistered mech vigilante that likes to show off.”

Peni almost told her to jump out one of the bus windows, but decided against it, especially as what she said was _technically_ true. But then again, who _didn’t_ like showing off?

“Come on, Addy,” Gwen said. “Sp//dr’s a hero.”

One of Gwen’s other friends--Peni didn’t actually know any of their names--jumped in, saying, “Yeah, Sp//dr’s awesome.”

The second girl--hadn’t Gwen said her name?--sneered. “Yeah, I suppose a villain stopping other villains _might_ be considered helpful by some.”

Peni stopped listening--after all, none of this affected her, and the only one of the girls she was friends with was Gwen, who knew her well enough to know that she didn’t like talking.

Well, she did, but had other duties that came first.

  
School was school. Just another day at school. She didn’t even get detention for jumping out one of the windows during class. Then again, she was just as annoyed as the teacher when Sc0rpion attacked _in broad daylight_! Come one! Why not wait till night when you could sneak attack...wherever it was he’d attacked?

Peni was glad when school was out. She packed her bag, and started walking out.

“Hey, Peni!” one of Gwen’s friends called out. “We were going to see a movie! Wanna come with?”

 _Actually, yeah, that sounds fun_. “Sorry. I don’t really like that kind of activity.”

“Yeah, I could of told you that,” Gwen said. “She’s an introvert.”

“Didn’t she threaten to feed your eyeballs to her grandchildren?” the first girl said.

“She’s an introvert...but intense.”

Peni left, half wishing people would just stop talking to her.

“Peni Parker.”

 _The mean girl from the bus._ Peni ignored her--she was a new girl. What was her name? Maddy?

“You’re the Sp//dr, aren’t you?”

Peni stopped in her tracks, but didn’t turn around.

“Ignoring me, are you?”

Peni decided to just walk on.  

“You aren’t special. You’re just a brat with a mech. You aren’t special, and never will be.”

 _Who just_ says _that to someone that they haven’t been introduced to?_

Peni ignored her, and walked on. She took a bus home.

“How was school?” Aunt May asked as she threw her backpack onto a couch.

“Exactly like...every other time you’ve asked.”

“Did you jump out a window again?”

“I’ve only ever done that twice, Aunt May,” she said, rolling her eyes. She walked on past, grabbing the doorknob to the workshop.

“Uh-uh. Where do you think you’re going?”

“Um...rebuilding an S-class mech? You forgetting that I’ve gotta use the C-class until I’m done?” She’d decided to build a ton of mechs so she wouldn’t run out.

“Gwen stopped by. She made cookies, and I managed to get out the fact that while she and her friends are going to a movie, you decided to not go.”

“...Cause having mecha battles with rampaging monsters is more important than watching _The PAC-Man_ movie?” Peni didn’t mention that she’d have liked to go, but her aunt noticed anyway.

“Dear, you’ve got to spend some time out of the suit. You can’t be a hero 24/7. We both know you’d like to live normally.”

Peni didn’t answer.

Her aunt sighed. “The cookies are in the kitchen.”

Peni nodded, then opened the door to the workshop. She strode through the factory-like room. She picked up an arm off a conveyor belt and walked over to where her mech was hoisted.

This model was _definitely_ an improvement.

It stood around ten feet tall, dark red. It had long legs, ending in two-toed feet. Right in front of where the cockpit would be was its head, two pieces of bullet-proof glass for eyes. It’s shoulders had massive plates that stuck straight up, and had four, long fingers on its (currently) only hand. Around the wrist was what would normally be assumed to be...one of those things full of bullets. Whatever they were called. Instead, it was a web shooter.

She’d recently had the idea, so she jumped up and held the arm up to the mech’s shoulder.

“Hey, Sp//dr,” she said, “can you pass me the welder?”

“Don’t you need the mask?” Sp//dr said from atop his perch on a nearby power core.

“Can you pass me the mask?” She caught it in her spare arm. She understood that most people wouldn’t be able to hold up the arm with one hand. As she put the welding mask on, she decided that being bitten by a radioactive spider did indeed have benefits, despite the three days she’d been in bed because of said spider-bite.

“Now can you pass me the welder?”

“What about the magnetic plates you used on your last mech?” Sp//dr said, tossing the welder with some web.

Peni began welding the axis of the arm into place. “Yeah, but I’m trying to rush this out so I can actually _fight_ any monsters that show up. The magnets take too long, so I’ll rebuild them later.”

“Oh.”

“Don’t act like that,” she told him. “These arms will have plenty of maneuverability. Besides, they’re only temporary. So I can stop villains while making the magnetic ones.”

“Yeah. Okay.”

She sighed. Being psychically connected to the spider enabled her to feel how he felt, as well as actually hearing him say words instead of just seeing a spider--which made things awkward went Aunt May walked into the room. 

“It’s just that...Dad’s mech had the magnetic arms and it feels like I’m betraying him by not using them.”

She stopped welding.  _ That _ was unexpected. She hadn’t even thought of it that way--then again, Sp//dr was a spider. He thought of things differently then everyone else she talked to--he called her father ‘dad’ because he thought that was his name!

“Oh. Um, I’m...not sure how to respond to that. But, er, I don’t think he’d see it the same way. You know what I mean?”

“Yeah.”

She started to weld, but then…

_ Person. _ She put down the welder. 

“Hello? Is someone there?” 

“Perhaps it’s Aunt?”

“Then the spider sense wouldn’t have said anything.” Who was it? She picked up a wrench and started sleuthing around the workshop. It was a big workshop--she passed one of the shelves, and peeked around. 

Was that...the mean girl from the school? Rooting through a crate of spare parts? 

_ Huh? _

She looked at the workbench over to her right, and nearly dropped the wrench. 

The mech was about the size of the one she was currently working on. Two arms connected to its shoulders, one ending in a cruel pincer, the other in a five-fingered hand. Both had machine guns mounted onto the arms. It only had one leg at the moment, the other was unattached, lying on the ground. The mech’s entry hatch was missing--she could see all the controls through the hole. 

Peni snuck over, standing behind the girl. “The screwdriver is in the box to the left.”

The girl cried out, jumping over the crate and falling on her head. Peni walked over and gave her a death-glare, hands on her hips. 

“What exactly are you doing here?”

“Um…”

“You realize that breaking and entering’s illegal, right?”

“Wait! I can explain!”

“Who even are you?”

“Wait...you don’t recognize me?”

“No, you’re from school, but I don’t actually know anything about you. I’ve actually just been referring to you as ‘mean girl’ in my head.” Peni shrugged. 

“Um...my name is Addy Brock...and, um, your aunt let me in here…”

Peni gave her a flat look. “How stupid do you think I am?”

“No! Honest! If you call her now, she’ll say it!” She jumped(clumsily) to her feet. 

Peni considered that. Then, she dropped and swept her leg, knocking Brock off her feet. Peni grabbed her by the hair, wondering why she wore her brown hair long. Then, she dragged Peni out of the workshop to her aunt. 

“Aunt May!” she called out. Sometime after she’d found Brock, Sp//dr had jumped onto her shoulder. 

“Yes, honey?” Then her aunt came into the room, took one look at Peni and Brock, and said, “Oh my god. Peni, dear, um, how about you let her go?”

Peni dropped her. Brock jumped to her feet, dusting off her white school jacket and black skirt before taking several steps back from Peni. 

“You see…” Aunt May took a deep breath. “We thought it would be nice...if someone else occasionally stopped crime...so you could live a... _ somewhat _ normal school life.”

Peni frowned. “And...you chose her?”

“Yes.”

“But she’s a bi--”

“ _ Peni _ .”

“--jerk?”

“Addy, go into the other room.” Brock didn’t hesitate to do so.

Aunt May sat down. “Her father...was a serial killer. He was shot by a cop  _ during his trial _ where they were discussing whether or not he was  _ actually _ the murderer. Her mother...jumped off a building soon afterwards. She’s been moving around in the foster-care system. We found her...and realized we could help her and you at the same time with the same solution.” 

Peni took a deep breath. “That mech had guns on it.”

“There are rampaging monsters too, honey.”

“Why didn’t you tell me?”

“We...thought to surprise you. Pleasantly.”

“I don’t like her.”

“I...got that. But...someday...Addy and her Ven#m mech...are going to save the world.”

Peni snorted. “Yeah. We’ll see about that.” She walked back into the workshop, taking extra care to slam the door behind her. 

“That went well,” Sp//dr said innocently. 


	2. C#rnage

Over the next few weeks, Peni worked hard on the new Sp//dr suit, while Brock worked on Ven#m--while Peni would never admit it, the name was awesome.

After about a month, Sp//dr was complete. So was Ven#m. Peni wiped sweat from her brow, welding mask lifted as she stared at her creation.

“Can’t believe we’re finally finished,” Brock said.

“Just about,” Peni said. A few more touches wouldn’t hurt... _Yeah, it’s done._

Brock sat in uncomfortable silence for a minute, then said, “Look, um, what I said to you that first day in school…”

“Yeah?”

“Sorry. I...still don’t know where that came from.”

“It’s okay. After all, I forgot what you even said.”

“You’re kidding.”

“Brock…” Peni looked her directly in the eyes. “I’ve forgotten basically everything you’ve ever said to me.”

“I...don’t even know how to respond to that…”

“Then _don’t_.” Peni chuckled.

“Rrrrrriiight.”

“PENI!” called Aunt May. “We have a problem!”

Peni and Brock rushed into the living room. Aunt May had news footage on the TV. “Watch,” she said.

“ _...we’ve counted 73 deaths so far,_ ” the news reporter was saying, _“though the attacker appears to have on purposely left some people unharmed. Police are baffled. We’ve got another thirty injured, seventeen of whom are in critical condition.”_ The cameraman turned away from the reporter, looking at a nearby wall. Scrawled on the wall, in blood, were two words: C#RNAGE RULES.

_“The police suspect terrorist action, probably through use of an unregistered mech. The police chief has dubbed the perpetrator ‘C#rnage’, after the message they left behind.”_

“Yikes,” Peni said. “Do we have any idea where he could be?”

“Yes. Chief Burns sent us info that he might be hiding in a warehouse on the corner of Fourteenth and Adams.”

“Well, I was hoping to test drive it before going into action, but it doesn’t look like we’ve got much choice.”

“Peni...Burns said that this C#rnage person left behind...a puzzle. When solved, it lead them to the warehouse. It’s most likely a trap.”

“Seventy-three dead,” Peni said simply. “I’m not waiting. Hey, Brock.”

“Um…”

“I’m hoping you’re guns work,” Peni said, rushing to the workshop.

“But...I thought they were for monsters…”

Without turning around, Peni answered. “They are.”

  
Sp//dr and Ven#m landed smoothly behind the warehouse. Ven#m did not look stealthy, but was surprisingly so.

Entering through a back door, Sp//dr took a few cautious steps inwards. “He hasn’t noticed us,” Peni said through the intercom. “My spider-sense would have went off.”

Ven#m followed inward, a couple steps behind Sp//dr.

“Someone’s got way too much spare time on his hands,” Peni commented, noting the chalk-written scribbles covering the walls, reading things such as, _YOUR FAULT, C#RNAGE RULES,_ and _UNREAL_.

“Or _her,_ ” an unfamiliar voice said, echoing in the warehouse. Sp//dr spun around, scanning the warehouse for the speaker.

“Um...my sensors don’t read anything,” Brock said. “Where is she?”

“The name’s Katherine Kasady,” the voice echoed. “Or, C#rnage, if you will.”

“Good to know,” Peni said. Sp//dr walked forward, looking around for the speaker. She considered saying something to Brock, but C#rnage had heard her over the intercom. _Come on,_ she thought to Brock, _keep him talking._

“You sure killed a lot of people earlier,” Brock said, guns raised. She started walking by a shelf full of crates.

“I have too much spare time, as your ‘Sp//dr’ friend said,” C#rnage echoed again. Peni could practically hear her shrug. “And what might your name be?”

“Um...Ven#m.”

C#rnage didn’t respond. “Another one?” she finally said. “Huh.”

“Another one?”

“Sp//dr!” Peni cried, snapping her arm towards Ven#m. Sp//dr fired the web-shooter, which hit the wall behind Ven#m. The mechanical claw that had suddenly appeared there disappeared just as quickly as Sp//dr hurled a crate across the room.

"What?" Brock cried.

Peni let out an aggravated sigh. "She can turn invisible. Just bloody brilliant," she said, as C#rnage let out a psychotic laugh that echoed through the building.

Sp//dr and Ven#m glared suspiciously at all the walls and floor, not knowing where C#rnage would strike next.

 _My spider-sense didn’t detect her,_ Peni thought. _Thaaat’s bad._

Normally, she’d have been able to sense where and when someone was attacking her. Not being able to…

She shook off the feeling of being watched, off a clawed hand reaching out from behind her.

“Wait. Why did she un-invisible her hand in order to attack?” Peni asked. “If she hadn’t, then I…”

“Why did she stop talking?” Addy asked.

“Where are you, you sociopathic git?” Peni called out. A plank shifted, and Ven#m immediately opened fire upon it--turning the plank into sawdust within seconds.

A small, calico cat jumped up, hissed at them, and bolted.

“Yeah, she’s gone,” Peni said.

“How do you know?” Addy said.

“Because she probably could have attacked at any point--in fact, she did attack. But she hasn’t. Moreover, while she was here, things were _silent_. Nothing moved.”

“Okay then. So, she’s gone?”

“Nope,” C#rnage said from _right behind_ Peni. Peni could practically feel her breathing down her neck. Crying out in surprise, she spun her leg around, surprised when her leg didn’t hit anything.

“I love being a ventriloquist,” C#rnage said, voice echoing again.

“You slimy, little bi--”

“Oh! Such language!” C#rnage laughed.

Fuming, Peni glared around, waiting.  _This is just a lovely combination_. 

Wood creaked. The Sp//dr and Ven#m mechs went back to back. "This is getting annoying quickly," Peni muttered. 

"Hey, um, quick question," Brock said. "Why are you doing this?"

"Cause if those people weren't real, then there lives didn't matter, and I could use them to make a point," C#rnage said. 

"What do you mean, if they weren't real?" Brock asked. 

"Ugh. I really oughta print out a manifesto," C#rnage replied. "You see, most humans aren't real. They tell you you're a real person. They tell you you're flesh and blood. But really..." Two four-fingered claws landed with sharp cracks against Ven#m's face plate. Appearing out of thin air, Brock got a good look of the C#rnage mech--loose wires and damaged red paint, clawed hands and feet, without thumbs. The upside-down head appeared in front of her, two rows of serrated steel teeth grinding together. "...you're nothing more than a luuuump of steeeeeeel," C#rnage sang. The jaws opened as she screamed into Brock's face, the glass cracking. Brock screamed, grabbing at C#rnage with her pincer hand. C#rnage clawed the glass as Brock threw her. C#rnage slid to a stop, turning and running, on all fours, back towards them. She leapt into the air at Brock, who immediately pointed both machine guns and opened fire. C#rnage was knocked out of the air, hitting the ground with sparks flying. She was quickly up, but Peni had grabbed her, pinning her down. 

"You are one messed up girl," Peni growled. 

C#rnage's head rotated all the way around and snarled at Peni. 

"Who gave that mech teeth?" Peni burst out. C#rnage's legs twisted backwards, landing on C#rnage's backs, and then C#rnage kicked Sp//dr. 

 _Hard_. Sp//dr was hurled backwards, slamming into shelf, knocking down crates that hit the ground. Peni blinked, dizzy. C#rnage had disappeared. Peni crept forward, leaving her spider-sense to detect for C#rnage. 

_Wait--she didn't trigger it--_

Peni suddenly noticed C#rnage's face appear right next to the mech. "Relying on your eight-legged friend?" she whispered. "I don't blame you. We all want a small creature of organs and flesh and squishy guts." Sp//dr spun around, kicking C#rnage in the face. C#rnage was knocked aside, but leapt up on top of Sp//dr, knocking her to the ground. The mechanical jaws began chomping and biting at the mech's face. 

"We're in trouble!" Sp//dr cried. 

Growling, Peni swung one of the mech's fists towards C#rnage, knocking it off. But C#rnage was back up quicker, and one clawed hand smashed through the mech's body. 

"Steel fails as easily as flesh," C#rnage hissed. "So WHY. WHY make FAKE people when FAKE people are just as WEAK as the REAL ONES?" In a fit of berserker fury, C#rnage began clawing and biting at Sp//dr's face, and began to quickly demolish the metal. 

 _I think I screwed this up,_ Peni thought to herself.  _But..._ One of her mech's hands punched up into C#rnage's mouth, resulting in a cry of pain from the latter.  _I always get back up._ She threw C#rnage off, into the air. Ven#m jumped in, ramming C#rnage into a wall, then picking her up and throwing her. 

**Author's Note:**

> Side Note: I did not expect anyone to read this so soon, especially as the first chapter is not actually done. I will try to update it whenever I write. Thank you for reading!  
> So sorry for the delay in writing. Thanks for reading!


End file.
